Unwinding apparatus



June 17, 1969 J. A. KERRIGAN ET AL 3,449,806

UNWINDING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 14, 1968 .II mu...

INVENTORS JAMES A. KERRIGAN BY ROBERT E. MORTON MQ/XDW ATTOARNEYS United States Patent 3,449,806 UNWINDING APPARATUS James A. Kerrigan and Robert E. Morton, Warwick, R.I.,

assignors to Leesona Corporation, Warwick, R.I., a

corporation of IVIassachusetts Filed Feb. 14, 1968, Ser. No. 705,400 Int. Cl. D03d 45/58 US. Cl. 28-19 19 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for removing yarn from an exhausted bobbin including a rotatable hub on which a disposable stripper shell is releasably mounted.

The invention relates generally to textile machinery and particularly to apparatus for removing residue yarn from exhausted bobbins.

Throughout the following specification and claims, the term yarn is employed in a general sense to apply to all kinds of strand material, either textile or otherwise.

It is common practice in automatic textile operations to wind a reserve of yarn onto a bobbin prior to applying the main service winding to insure that the yarn is not exhausted from the bobbin before a new supply bobbin is introduced. After the main service winding has been unwound and the exhausted bobbin replaced with a fresh bobbin, the reserve winding which remain on the exhausted bobbin is removed by means of stripper apparatus such as that disclosed in the commonly assigned US. Patents Nos. 2,638,658 and 2,638,937. One accepted procedure has been to provide a surface on a drum of the stripper apparatus so that yarn more readily adheres to the drum and can be more efiecively withdrawn from the bobbin. However, with usage, the surface of the drum becomes worn and requires re-surfacing. To resurface a drum, an entire drum assembly is usually removed and all traces of the old surface eliminated before a new surface is provided. This requires that a machine utilizing stripper apparatus be provided with a spare drum assembly to assure continued use of the machine while a worn drum is being serviced.

To avoid the inconvenience and expense of conventional constructions, the invention contemplates providing stripper apparatus having a replaceable shell which can be readily attached to and removed from a permanent supporting hub member. When the surface of the shell becomes worn, the shell can be discarded and replaced with a new shell.

A primary object of the invention is to provide new and improved stripping apparatus for removing residue yarn from exhausted bobbins.

Another object of the invenion is to provide new and improved bobbin stripping apparatus which includes a rotatable hub and a disposable shell having a yarn receiving surface releasably mounted on the hub. A related object is to provide a suitable mechanism for discharging the yarn from the surface of the shell.

A further object of the invention is the provision of stripping apparatus including a disposable shell having a textured outer surface to which yarn can adhere. A related object is the provision of such apparatus adapted to receive different shells, each having a different textured surface to which different yarns can adhere.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken together with the drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of bobbin stripper apparatus embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section view taken substantially along line 33 of FIG. 2, certain parts being cut away for increased clarity;

FIG. 4 is a section view taken substantially along line 4-4 in FIG. 1, certain parts being cut away for increased clarity; and

FIG. 5 is a section view taken substantially along line 55 in FIG. 1.

Refer now to the drawings and initially to FIGS. 1 and 2 in which a stripper shell 10, preferably having a thin-walled body 11 (note FIGS. 3 and 4) of a relatively inexpensive material, molded nylon being one example, suitably mounted as part of a bobbin stripper assembly 12. In a suitable manner, a trailing end of yarn from an exhausted bobbin (not shown) is carried across the outer surface of the shell 10 where it is engaged by handling elements including a plurality of reciprocating first or grasping fingers 14 adapted to initiate winding of the yarn onto the stripper assembly 12 and a plurality of reciprocating second or discharge fingers 16 adapted to advance the yarn toward the nose of the shell 10 for its eventual removal from the stripper assembly. In order to increase adherence of yarn to the stripper shell 10 so that it can be more readily withdrawn from a bobbin, it is preferred that the stripper shell 10 be suitably provided with an adherent outer surface 17 such that yarn readily clings to the shell 10. According to one method which has been successfully employed, fibers of short staple rayon are electrostatically applied to the outer surface of the stripper shell 10 after it has been precoated with a suitable adhesive. As another example, a similar result can be achieved by chemically treating the outer surface of the stripper shell 10.

Referring to FIG. 3. the stripper assembly 12 comprises a generally paraboloidal-shaped hub 18 suitably fixed as by a press fit to a drive shaft 20 which extends freely through a hole 22 in a supporting wall 24 (FIG. 1) and is journaled in a bore 26 through a cylindrical cam 28 mounted by bolts 30 to the supporting wall. A retainer ring 31 prevents the drive shaft 20 from moving axially relative to the cam 28. The stripper shell 10 is also paraboloidal-shaped and converges from an open end 32 (FIG. 3) to a second end or nose 34 opposite the open end. To fix the stripper shell 10 to the hub 18, a screw 36 or other suitable fastener is freely received through a clearance hole 38 in a nose recess 40 and is engaged with a threaded hole 42 in the end of the drive shaft 20. The open end 32 of the stripper shell 10 is provided with an axially extending skirt 44 diverging axially outwardly and terminating at a generally cylindrical riin 46. When the shell 10 is mounted on the hub 18 and the screw 36 tightened, the skirt 44 firmly engages a conical surface 48 on the hub 18 and the rim 46 is received in an annular recess 50 formed adjacent an axial extension 52 of an annular enclosure 54 integral with the hub 18.

A spiral cam track 56 extends around the outer peripheral surface of the cam 28 and projects in a radially outward direction. Freely and alternatively receiving the grasping fingers 14 and the discharge fingers 16 are a plurality of axially directed openings 58 (FIG. 5) in the hub 18 preferably at equally spaced circumferential locations (see FIGS. 2 and 4), adjacent the annular enclosure 54. Adjacent one end of each grasping finger 14 (FIG. 3), is a notch 60 loosely engaging the cam track 56 and, similarly adjacent one end of each discharge finger 16 is a notch 62 loosely engaging the cam track 56 such that, as the drive shaft 20 is rotated and with it the hub 18, the fingers 14 and 16 are constrained by the openings 58 to rotate with the hub. Since the notches 60 and 62 are pre- 3 vented from moving radially away from engagement with the cam track 56 by reason of the annular enclosure 54, the fingers 14 and 16 are slaved by the opening 58 to move longitudinally back and forth whereby rotation of the drive shaft 20 results in a reciprocal motion of the fingers 14 and 16 relative to the hub 18.

The outer end of each of the grasping fingers 14 has an undercut region 64 and is provided with a dimple 66 (FIG. 1) located on a leading edge, assuming that the hub 18 rotates in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2, to further aid in seizing the yarn and drawing it around and onto the outer surface of the shell 10. Thereupon, the discharge fingers 16 serve to push the yarn toward the nose of the stripper assembly 12 for its eventual removal from the shell 10. In the course of its reciprocal movement, each discharge finger 16 having a plurality of teeth 68 (FIG. 3) travels toward the nose of the stripper assembly 12 so that forward facing and generally vertically disposed flat surfaces 70 on the teeth 68 engage the yarn and progressively advance it lengthwise of the stripper assembly 12 as it builds up in successive layers on the outer surface of the shell 10. However, on the return stroke of each discharge finger 16, the yarn is caused to ride up inclined surfaces 72 on the teeth 68 such that the yarn substantially maintains its position of farthest travel toward the nose of the stripper assembly 12 and the process continues until the yarn is eventually discharged from the shell 10.

Openings 74 in the skirt 44 coincide with the openings 58 in the hub 18 to freely receive the fingers 14 and 16 when the stripper shell is mounted on the hub 18. Communicating with the openings 74 are a plurality of longitudinally extending channels 76 provided in the outer surface of the shell 10 adapted to receive and guide the grasping fingers 14 and, similarly, a plurality of longitudinally extending channels 78 adapted to receive and guide the discharge fingers 16. Flanges 80 project outwardly from opposite sides of each channel 78 guiding the discharge fingers 16. As yarn is wound about the outer surface of the stripper shell 10, portions of the yarn are sup ported on the outer edges of the flanges 80 and allow the teeth 68 of the discharge fingers 16 to effectively engag yarn as they progressively advance it along the surface of the stripper shell 10. It is preferred that the channels 76 and 78 be free of the adherent surface provided on the stripper shell 10 so as not to hinder the movement of the fingers 14 and 16, and likewise the outer edges of the flanges 80 so as not to retard progress of the yarn toward the nose 34.

Because of the thin-walled construction of the shell 10, the undersides of the channels 76 are depressed so as to define elongated protrustions 82 which are engageable with cooperating grooves 84 (FIG. 4) in the outer surface of the hub 18. Similarly, the undersides of the channels 78 are depressed so as to define elongated protrusions 86 which are engageable with cooperating grooves 80' in the outer surface of the hub 18. It will be understood that the mating protrusions 86 and grooves 88 are respectively wider (FIG. 4) than the mating protrusions 82 and grooves 84. This construction serves to key the stripper shell 10 to the hub 18 and also assures that the shell 10 can only be mounted on the hub 18 in such a manner that the grasping fingers 14 are located in the channels 76 and the discharge fingers 16 are located in the channels 78.

In practice, it is possible by reason of the invention to quickly remove the stripper shell 10 and replace it with another shell having a surface of a ditferent texture as when the stripper apparatus is employed to periodically operate on bobbins wound with a variety of yarns having different adherent properties. In a like manner, it is possible to quickly remove a stripper shell 10 whose surface has become worn with use, replacing it with a fresh shell and discarding the one removed. When it is desired to remove a stripper shell and replace it with another, the screw 36 is unfastened and the shell 10 is axially Withdrawn from the hub 18. A replacement shell is then ap- 4 plied to the hub 18 and aligned so that the fingers 14 and 16 are received in their respective channels 76 and 78, and the rim 46 is inserted into the annular recess 50. With the screw 36 tightened, the stripper assembly 12 is again ready for operation.

Although the invention as shown and described herein has been embodied in a preferred form of construction, it is to be understood that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for stripping a strand of yarn from a bobbin, comprising a shell having an outer surface adapted to be rotated about an axis during operation of the apparatus, said shell having a plurality of outwardly opening axially extending channels along said outer surface of said shell and an open end for insertion of said shell onto a hub, and handling means including said outer surface for releasably holding the strand on said shell and discharging the strand from said shell.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which said shell has a second end opposite said open end, and attaching means at said second end to releasably secure the shell to the hub.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 in which said attaching means includes an inwardly recessed aperture in said second end for receiving a fastener to secure said shell to the hub, and keying means on said shell for orienting the shell in operative position on the hub.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which said shell comprises a thin wall, said outer surface is on said thin wall, and at least one of said channels is formed by a depression in said outer surface providing an inwardly extending protrusion along an inner surface of said wall.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 including means for mounting said shell on the hub for rotation therewith and including said protrusion adapted to be received in a cooperating groove in the hub.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which said outer surface of said shell is generally paraboloidal-shaped and converges from said open end to a second end of said shell opposite said open end, and a generally axially extending skirt diverging axially outwardly from said outer surface at said open end.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6 in which said skirt has openings, one axially aligned with each of said channels.

'8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6 in which said skirt has an outer end spaced from said surface and said shell has a cylindrical rim extending generally axially from said outer end of said skirt for abutting the hub when the shell is operatively secured to the hub.

9. Apparatus as set forth in claim -1 wherein said handling means includes a plurality of fingers to grasp the strand and deposit the strand on said outer surface and to discharge the strand from said outer surface, one finger slidably received in each of said channels for movement axially of said shell.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein said fingers include a plurality of first fingers having means for grasping the strand and depositing the strand on the outer surface, and a plurality of second fingers for discharging the strand from said outer surface, said channels have opposite sides, and said handling means includes flanges, one projecting outwardly along each of said sides of the channels which receive said second fingers.

11. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which said shell has a second end opposite said open end, attaching means at said second end to releasably secure the shell to the hub, and said outer surface of said shell is generally paraboloidal-shaped and converges from said open end to a second end of said shell opposite said open end, and a skirt diverging axially outwardly from said outer surface at said open end.

12. Apparatus as set forth in claim 11 in which said shell comprises a thin wall, said outer surface is on said thin wall, means for mounting said shell on the hub for rotation therewith and including at least one of said channels formed by a depression in said outer surface and a corresponding inwardly extending protrusion along an inner surface of said wall'and adapted to be received in a cooperating key way in the hub.

13. Apparatus as set forth in claim 12 in which said shell is flexible, said attaching means includes an inwardly recessed aperture in said second end for receiving a fastener to secure said shell to the mount, said skirt has openings, one axially aligned with each of said channels, said channels have opposite sides, said handling means includes a plurality of first fingers having means for grasping the strand and depositing the strand on said outer surface and a plurality of second fingers for discharging the strand from said outer surface, and said first and second fingers alternating with each other and being circumferentially spaced about said shell, one slidably received in each of said channels for movement axially of said shell, and flanges, one projecting outwardly along each of said sides of the channels which receive said second fingers.

14. Apparatus for stripping a strand of yarn from a bobbin, comprising a hub having an axis of rotation, means positioning said hub for rotation about said axis, a shell having an outer surface and an open end, means releasably mounting said shell on said hub for rotation with said hub, and handling means including said outer surface for releasably holding the strand on said shell and discharging the strand from said shell, and a plurality of outwardly opening axially extending fingers along said outer surface of said shell to grasp the strand and deposit the strand on said outer surface and to discharge the strand from said outer surface, said fingers being spaced around the periphery of said shell.

-15. Apparatus as set forth in claim '14 in which said shell has a second end opposite said open end, the mounting means includes an inwardly recessed aperture in said second end receiving a fastener releasably securing said shell to the hub, and keying means on said shell for orienting the shell in operative position on the hub.

16. Apparatus as set forth in claim 14 in which said hub has an axially extending groove, said shell comprises a thin wall, said outer surface is on said thin wall, and said mounting means includes at least one axially extending channel formed by a depression in said outer surface and providing an inwardly extending protrusion along an inner surface of said wall, said protrusion received in said groove in the hub to retain said shell for rotation with the hub.

17. Apparatus as set forth in claim 14 in which said outer surface of said shell is generally paraboloidalshaped and converges from said open end to a second end of said shell opposite said open end, a plurality of outwardly opening axial extending channels circumferentially spaced in said shell along said outer surface, and a generally axially extending skirt diverging axially outwardly from said outer surface at said open end, said skirt has openings, one axially aligned with each of said channels, and said fingers are received, one in each of said channels and extends through the associated opening.

18. Apparatus as set forth in claim '17 wherein said fingers include a plurality of first fingers having means for grasping the strand and depositing the strand on the outer surface, and a plurality of second fingers for discharging the strand from said outer surface, said channels have opposite sides, and said handling means includes flanges, one projecting outwardly along each of said sides of the channels which receive said second fingers.

19. Apparatus as set forth in claim 18 in which said skirt has an outer end spaced from said surface and said shell has a cylindrical rim extending generally axially from said outer end of said skirt and abutting the hub when the shell is operatively secured to the hub.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS LOU-IS K. RIMRODT, Primary Examiner. 

